Sewing machine attachment



Feb. 10, 1959 Filed March 22, 1956 G. PECK SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. Gal/ye Pa 0/? BY x ATTORNEYS Feb. 10, 1959 G. PECK 2,872,884

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed March 22, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l M FIG. 6

l N V EN TOR. Gearyp Pea/ EMM F ag ATTORNEYS 2,872,884 Patented Feb. 10, 19159 nited States atent fie SEWING MA'CHlN E ATTACHMENT George Peck, Elizabeth, N. 3., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn.

Application March 22,1956, Serial No. 57 3,162

3 Claims, (Cl. 112-2) The present invention relates, in general, to sewing machines and in particular to an attachment to prevent the breakage or damage of the needles when sewing to a garment, or the like, .a strip provided with metallic elements, or the like.

Numerous articles .of apparel, especially female undergarments, are provided with closure devices of the hook and eyelet type. The hooks and eyelets of said closure devices. are metallic elements which are first sewn in position on a tape or other carrier therefor. Thereafter the tape is sewn to thegarment .by a needle of the sewing machine which traverses said closure elements. In this operation, the needle frequently strikes the closure .element resulting in the breakage or bending of the needle and the consequent discontinuance of the sewing operation until the needle is replaced.

The primary object of the present invention is to prevent the needle from striking the metallic elements during the sewing operation.

Another object is theprovisionof means for dislodgin obstructions from the needle path.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive attachment which can be easily secured to a sewing machine to prevent needle damage caused by obstructions in .the needle path.

The above and other objects, featuresand advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description, considered'in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In .the drawings, which illustrate the bestmode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine pursuant to the presentinvention;

-Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, the sewing machine needles being in the retracted position thereof;

Fig. Bis a sectional view taken on line 33 oflFig. 2;

Fig. 4 is afragmentary view, similar to Fig. 2, on an enlarged scaleandillustrates the operation of the attachment of the present invention during the descent of the needle;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

.Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and illustrates the operation of the attachment at the termination of the descent of the needle, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 6 with parts omitted for purposes of illustration.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,the reference numeral lll denotes a conventional double-needle sewing machine having a base 12 and ahead 14. The base is mounte'din a suitable work table 16 and the Lheadis provided with conventional mechanism to vertically reciprocate the needle bar 18 which is carried thereby. The needle bar 18 is provided with a holder or device 20 for the pair of laterally disposed needles 22 and 24. The machine also mounts a presser foot 26 and is provided with a guide device 28 through which the tape 30 is advanced by the horizontally reciprocating feed member 31 which operates in timed relation to the vertical reciprocation of the needle bar 18, in the conventional manner. The described portions of the sewing machine are conventional in double needle sewing machines of the type adapted to sew a tape 30 or the like, to a garment such as is generally indicated by the reference numeral 34.

As here shown, the tape 30 is provided with spaced metallic fastening elements 32, there shown as metallic eyelets, which tape is to be secured to the garment 34 by the two lines of stitching 36 and 38 (Fig. .5). While both lines of stitching secure-the tape to the garment, :the line of stitching 38 traverses the eyelets 32 in the row thereof adjacent to the edge 33 of the tape, which is sewn to the garment by the line of stitching 36 but the line of stitching 36 is clear of the eyelets.

Pursuant to the-present invention, provision is made to prevent the needle 22 from striking the eyelets or needleimpervious obstructions 32, to prevent the bending or breaking .of the needle 22 and the consequent interruption in the sewing operation pending the replacement of the needle. This is effected by the sewing machine .attacbment generally indicated by the reference .numeral iii. In this connection it will be understood that it is desirable that the tape be sewn to the garment or fabric 34 by a high speed sewing operation in which the up erator cannot manually manipulate the tape to movean improperly disposed element 32 out of the needle path. While this may be accomplished in a very slow :sewing operation, in which .the operator could stop themachine each time that an .element 32 is disposed in 'the needle path and .adjust the tape so that theelement clears the needle path, such a manualoperation is highly undesirable since it results in :a .very low rate of production.

As here shown, the attachment 40 is mounted by the head 14. More specifically, provision is made for a mounting member or bracket .42 which is secured, as at 43 to the mount 46, on the head 14, for the previously mentioned presser foot 26. A lever 44 is =pivotally mounted, as by the pivot 48, on the bracket42. A finger is secured, asat 52, to thepivoted lever44. The finger 50 is provided with a laterally offset, portion 54 from which there extends a forwardly projecting hook 56 which is disposed laterally .ofthe needle 22, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. A helical tensionspring 58 interconnects the lever-.44 and the bracket -42 so as to normally bias .the hook 56 into engagement with aportion 60 of the presser foot 26, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein it is clear of the underlying tape 30. The lever 44 is provided with a .cam follower .edge 62 and the previously mentioned needle holder 2b is provided with a projecting cam portion 64 which is adapted to ride along the cam follower edge 62-. More specifically, it will be noted that edge 62 is constituted by theangularly related portions 62A and 62B and in the retracted positionof the needledevice 20, the cam follower edge portion 62A extends into the path of downward movement of the cam 64, said cam edge portion being disposed in said disposition by the springSS which biases the book 56 into engagement with the detent. constituted by the portion 60 of the presser foot 26. The retracted positions of thencedleholder 20 and the finger 50 are best illustrated in Fig. 2 and in broken line inFig. 4, and theprojected positions thereof are. illustrated in Fig. 6.

Assuming vvnow thatgthe machine 10 .is being operated to :sew'the tape 30 to the ,garment 34, the tape 3,0,,is advanced intermittently in the direction of the arrows 66 in Figs. 1 and 5, being moved under the presser foot 26 by the member 31, in the usual manner, and the needle bar 18 is vertically reciprocated in timed relation with said movement of the tape. In the retracted position of the needle 22 the finger 50 is also in the retracted position thereof with the hooked end 56 thereof engaged with the foot portion 60, as in broken line in Fig. 4. As the needle moves downwardly, the cam 64 rides along the underlying cam follower edge portion 62A so as to pivot the lever 44 from the broken line position thereof to the full line position thereof in Fig. 4. This results in the movement of the hook 56 of the finger 50 from its position in abutment with the detent 60 toward the tape 30, as illustrated in said figure. The hook 56 moves in advance of the needle 22 toward the underlying tape so that as the cam moves off the follower portion 62A onto the follower portion 62B the hook 56 would be in position to engage an element 32 disposed in the needle path, as shown in full line in Fig. 4, with the needle spaced above the obstructing element at this point. The cam follower edge portion 62B is less oblique than the cam follower edge portion 62A so that movement of the cam along portion 62B causes a smaller pivotal movement of lever 44 than the movement thereof when the cam rides along portion 62A. This smaller movement is illustrated in Fig. 6, the cam moving the lever 44 from its broken line to its full line position to similarly move the hook 56. This movement of the hook is sufficient to dislodge the underlying element 32 from the needle path so that the needle can complete its downward stroke as illustrated. In the event that there is no obstruction in position to be engaged by the hook 56, the latter does not retract the tape since the movement thereof is terminated before it could do so.

each side of the element 32 whether the right side thereof, viewing Fig. 7, underlies the needle 22 or whether the left side thereof underlies the needle. In either case, the engagement of one side of the element 32 by the hooked end 56 will effect the slight movement of the underlying elements 32 secured to the tape 30 to move the element clear of the path of movement of the needle 22.

The presser foot 26 is provided with the conventional cut-outs 68 and 70 through which the needles 22 and 24 respectively pass for effecting the sewing operation. As best illustrated in Fig. 5, the hooked end 56 of the finger 50 is disposed laterally of the cut out 68 for engagement with a portion of the element 32 which extends outwardly beyond the presser foot 26.

Upon retraction of the needle mount 20 from its lowermost position illustrated in Fig. 6 to its retracted position illustrated in broken line in Fig. 4, the cam 64 titles up the edge 62 of the lever 44 permitting the stressed spring 58 to contract and to return the finger to the inoperative position thereof illustrated in broken line in Fig. 4.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a sewing machine having a stationary head including a vertically reciprocable needle holder, a needle, a work support and a presser foot, an attachment for operation with said needle holder to engage and remove from the needle path needle-impervious elements positioned in the path of movement of the needle, said attachment comprising, a vertically extending lever disposed in front of said needle and pivotally connected to said head at its upper end for movement relative thereto in a vertical plane parallel to the line of feed, a finger carried at the lower end of said lever and extending rearwardly therefrom toward said presser foot and disposed adjacent the path of movement of said needle,

means biasing said finger toward said presser foot so as to dispose it above the work support in a retracted position, said lever having a part disposed in the path of said needle holder and engageable by the latter during the vertical movement of the needle for pivoting said finger from said retracted position toward the front of the machine during which movement said finger is adapted to engage and dislodge from the needle path a needleimpervious element disposed by the work in the needle path.

2. In a sewing machine having a stationary head including a vertically reciprocable needle holder, a needle, a work support and a presser foot, an attachment for operation with said needle holder to engage and remove from the needle path needle impervious elements positioned in the path of movement of the needle, said attachment comprising, a vertically extending lever disposed in front of said needle and pivotally connected to said head at its upper end' for movement relative thereto in a vertical plane parallel to the line of feed, a finger carried at the lower end of said lever and extending rearwardly therefrom toward said presser foot and disposed adjacent the path of movement of said needle, means biasing said finger toward said presser foot so as to dispose it above the work support in a retracted position, said needle holder having cam means and said lever having a cam follower portion disposed in the path of said cam means and engageable by the latter during the vertical movement of the needle for pivoting said finger from said retracted position toward the front of the machine during which movement said finger is adapted to engage and dislodge from the needle path a needle impervious element disposed by the work in the needle path.

3. In a sewing machine having a stationary head including a vertically reciprocable needle holder, a needle, a .work support and a presser foot, and attachment for operation with said needle holder to engage and remove from the needle path needle impervious elements positioned in the path of movement of the needle, said attachment comprising, a vertically extending lever disposed in front of said needle and pivotally connected to said head at its upper end for movement relative thereto in a vertical plane parallel to the line of feed, a finger carried at the lower end of said lever and extending rearwardly therefrom toward said presser foot and disposed adjacent the path of movement of said needle, means biasing said finger into engagement with said presser foot so as to dispose it above the work support in a retracted position, said needle holder having cam means and said lever having a cam follower portion disposed in the path of said cam means and engageable by the latter during the vertical movement of the needle for pivoting said finger from said retracted position toward the front of the machine during which movement said finger is adapted to engage and dislodge from the needle path a needle impervious element disposed by the work in the needle path, said cam follower portion having two angularly related parts, one of said parts being operable for moving said finger to engage said needle impervious element and the other of said parts effecting the movement of said finger to dislodge said needle impervious element, said other part being less oblique than said one part so as to cause a smaller pivotal movement of said finger during the dislodging operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,732,394 Bebel Oct. 22, 1929 1,915,580 Rabinowitz June 27, 1933 1,942,903 Roseman Jan. 9, 1934 

